Melocactus neryi

A small, flattened-globular Turk's cap cactus of the lowland Guiana Shield, where it grows on sun-baked granite outcrops in savanna. It needs constant warmth year-round, very strong light and a fast-draining mineral mix; once the woolly cephalium forms, the green body stops growing in width.

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Like most northern South American Melocactus, it grows in crevices and thin gritty pockets on granite or sandstone outcrops in savanna and open scrub. This is inferred from the genus and the lowland Guiana Shield records; there is little published on this species' own habitat.

Recorded from near sea level to about 330 m, median about 300 m. It is a hot lowland plant.

Brazil NorthGuyanaSurinameVenezuela

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.